The discovery of a child's skeleton that is at least thirty years old in the attic of the old stone house he has just purchased leads a Matt Harper on a journey into the past to solve the mystery. 15,000 first printing. Master storyteller Barnard (The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori) focuses on an old house in Leeds, where new owner Matt Harper, a TV personality, discovers the skeleton of a small child in the attic. Police say the skeleton has been there for 30 years which means that Matt was in the area at the time the child died. A skillful rendering. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. Barnard ushers his fans on another excursion through murder and mayhem in the north of England. A nasty event that occurred a few decades earlier is discovered when Matt Harper, a TV and radio star and former "footballer," buys an old house in Leeds for himself and his family. Between buying the house and actually moving in, Matt finds the skeleton of a child in the attic. Detective Sergeant Charlie Peace is officially in charge of the case, but Matt carries on his own investigation, including ransacking his own memory. He is familiar with the neighborhood because he stayed there with his aunt back in the hot summer of 1969, which is when, the forensic specialists estimate, the body was placed in the attic. Matt is interested in looking up the people who used to live on the block. What part does the hippie couple who were squatters in one of the houses play in the mysterious affair? As always, Barnard is absolutely compelling. Brad Hooper Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Peter Robinson author of Aftermath Robert Barnard is one of the best living British crime writers, and in The Bones in the Attic he is in top form. This tragic tale of a group of adults haunted by an event from their shared past has all the hallmarks of Mr. Barnard's more recent, darker style: an acute eye for social detail, vivid, deftly drawn characters, and a well-plotted mystery teasingly played out. A must-read. -- Review Robert Barnard's most recent novel is Unholy Dying. His other books include A Murder in Mayfair, The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori, No Place of Safety, The Bad Samaritan, The Masters of the House, A Scandal in Belgravia, and Out of the Blackout. Scribner has just released a classic edition of Death of a Mystery Writer. Winner of the prestigious Nero Wolfe Award as well as Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity awards, the eight-time Edgar nominee is a member of Britain's distinguished Detection Club. He lives with his wife, Louise, and with pets Jingle and Durdles, in Leeds, England. Chapter One: Remember You Must Die "It's a good size for a dining room," said the builder and decorator, who had said to call him Tony. "But then, I don't suppose you have family meals anymore. No one does." "Sunday," said Matt. "And anytime there's something on offer the children particularly like." "How many you got?" "Three. They're my partner's." The man nodded. He was used to all kinds of permutations and variations. In fact, he often reckoned the decline of the stable family had been wonderful for his business. Matt stood in the center of the big room, unconscious for the moment of Tony, or of anything else except the house. It struck him that he and the house were at a crucial moment in their existence: the house had nothing of him, or of Aileen, but it did have him there, considering, determining its future. And his own. He loved it. Standing outside in the lane waiting for Tony he had felt his heart contract at the mere sight of the stone. Stone. Solid, thick, permanent stone. Outside he had heard a radio, loud, from next door through an open window. Inside he heard nothing. And here it was, waiting, with its wood-burning fireplace, its bell push to summon the long-gone servant, its tentative moves in the direction of Art Deco. Eighty years old or more. Waiting for what he, Aileen, and the children were going to make of it. A strange thought struck him. He wondered if a stone house like this might have kept his marriage together. Thank God it hadn't. "What color were you thinking of?" Tony asked. "I thought blue -- not too strong. The windows aren't that large, and it's a long room, so we need something pleasant and airy." "Blue. You're thinking of paint, then?" "I'll have wallpaper if I find something that I know is right -- something that grabs me round the throat. Otherwise I'll have paint till I find something. Anyway, I like paint: clean colors and clean surfaces." Tony nodded, and as they went into the hallway he said, "I wish I could say I'd seen you play." Matt shrugged. "Why would you? You'd be a Leeds United man. There was no great reason seven or eight years ago to make the effort to see Bradford City play." "Seven or eight years ago there was no great reason to go and see Leeds United play. Dullest football in the north was what they served up then."